JO SMITH

Nature stories in word and stitch ...

I am a creative textile artist and teacher working with dyes and inks made from plants and flowers.  My passion is for bringing nature to life in stitch, particularly birds and trees observed in my garden and from my imagination.

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I grow my own dye plants or forage in the local area to create background fabrics using a combination of dyeing and botanical printing.  I develop each design with fabric collage and hand stitch using plant dyed threads, working intuitively as the artwork takes shape.

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I am fascinated with exploring and developing works based on how story or poem and stitch interweave and respond to each other.  I now write my own nature-based fairy stories, myths and poems, and these develop side by side with the stitched textile works, bringing new perspectives on nature to enjoy.

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Teaching natural dyeing and botanical printing workshops is enabling me to pass on my passion for natural dyes to others.